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May 26, 2009

slimy beans of insanity

I've decided that just the words "summer vacation" scare me. Yes, my oldest is in Kindergarten, which makes this fear of having the kids home seem somewhat premature. But let me just tell you something:

At 12:45 PM every week day, I have deposited two children on separate buses and two other children in beds, leaving me completely alone. In the quiet. For two hours (give or take.)

I NEED THIS ALONE TIME.

It's for sanity reasons mainly. But it's also my work time. And my cleaning time. And my 'catch up on the shows that I missed by watching them online' time. And my 'read everyone's blog posts that I've missed in the past 5 days' time. And sometimes it's my 'pretend to read a book, but know that I'm really going to fall asleep on the couch' time.

It's just not the same when the kids are bouncing all over the place, screaming from their lungtops, and scribbling on all the hard surfaces in the kitchen with crayons (for days in a row, thank you Monkey, and where do all these rogue crayons keep coming from?)

Summer is going to be brutal. The kids are going to expect me to actually pay attention to them. I'm planning on insanity. If I completely disappear from blogland, you'll know it's because I'm locked in a padded cell somewhere (probably taking a nap.)

My only consolation is that in a few months Two Bits will be in first grade and gone ALL DAY. Except that, aside from bossing everyone around in every waking moment, Two Bits is actually the good child.

She's so excited because tomorrow they get to eat lunch in the cafeteria. You know, try on the whole full-time student thing, without actually going all day. It's like eating in a cafeteria has been a life long goal of hers - she's that excited.

So I started thinking back to my lunchroom days. In 4th and 5th grade they had student helpers in the cafeteria. And all the kids would eagerly volunteer to go wear hair nets and wash trays.

They roped me into that gig once, and never again. Because seriously, who wants to wash slimy beans off someone else's tray? Or get to be the lucky kid who helps the unlucky kid who dropped their retainer into the trash? I don't care how old you are - those jobs are just not cool. I remember being really confused by everyone else's excitement to be a cafeteria helper (I had to have been the smartest 10 year old at that school, if for only this reason.)

Have I ever mentioned that my husband does all of our dishes? In the kitchen I cook, he cleans. Apparently I still have the same desires to stay away from washing other people's slimy beans. (Does that make me the smartest person in this household? Because I think I deserve that title - if for only this reason, of course.)

4 comments:

I remember when I would complain about not being able to get things done and my husband always said, "DO it when the baby naps." Hello! The baby doesn't nap THAT much! It's tough being where you are now. Hang in there!

I'm glad I'm not the only that's dreading the summer holidays. I don't get this alone time anymore, but it's nice to not have all 3 in my face, screaming for individual attention. And for 6 long, lonley weeks, I know that it's just going to be mayhem and that i'll spend the entire 6 weeks wishing the time away.